Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-10-13

HwT~
The boys all = together in u iarg;
hall. This hall Is in sae building whiot
you see when YOU hook through ths
ratings on Sewgats Street. Its ysr,
large. as Indeed il has need TO be. fol
there are ever Seyea hundred bows Il
SIT at the tables, it has high.petnteJ
windows, and at IA end is an organ.
and at one side y carved pulpit. where
a "Greeian,a er seaier scholar, stands
AZ the beginning Of each meal and SAYS
grace. Every Thursday ia Lent there
is a 'supping in pahlic. when visitors
cone aud watch the "BlaesN rs they
eat their supper, Tue Lord Mayer.
the Treasurer, or the Governors pre-
side. When supper is over, the hoys
sing an anthem and, walking two by
two, pass in front of the prlneipal
guests. To whom they bow This eere-
meny is called Blowing 'roand."
At one time swaras of rats used to
come to the hall and have their supper
in it after the boys had gone TO bed,
They sometimes we're seen running
along the top Of the pieture-frameS,
and the Blues used TO catch them
with their hands. They thought il
would show a want of pluck to lay
traps for them.
The boys wait on themselves ut table,
Some lay the cloth. oskers bring the
salt, still others pass the bread. and,
in a word. each has his special charge.
These charges T known As the
trades" and the boys are called
bread-boys, water-hoys, potato-hoys,
and so DE-, according to their duties.
1t is one Of the great sights of the Hos.
pital to see them preparing for dinner,
About one o'clock the trades-hoys
leave the Fairgrounds, for the dining
hall Many OF them come in such q
hurry that their faces are red and
warm with running; their skirts are
still tucked up in their girdles; and
their pockets, stuffed with balls and
other treasures, hang heavily down be,
mind.
The cloth-boyS begin work. and very
awkward they are about it sometimes.
| once saw one little fellow who. in his
efforts to place the cloth straight,
walked right up the middle of the
table on the cloth itself. giving it little
pokessnto the right direction with the
tip of his boot. Then TIE mug-boys,
mustard-boys, pe~pper-boys, sait-boys,
bearing the articles of their trades in
big baskets, follow and set the tables
This done, they go below to the hall
Blues" are assembled. The bell
rings. The warden. who is the chief
superintendent of the boys when they
are not in school, comes in to preside.
The boys fall into rank. according Ia
their wards. each detachment headed
by one of the number bearing a colored
flag. The bugIe sounds. The ser.
| geant, or driil-master, calls out his
orders. the principal of which is,
Hands out of your pockets" Then
the Hospital band strikes up a march
and the seven hundred and fifty boys
march in to dinner. When they reach
the cloisters, certain OF the trades-boy:
leave the ranks and go down to the
kitchen. There, under the superin.
tendence of the cook, they take the
dishes of meat. buckets of potatoes
md baskets of bread, that have been
prepared, and carry them upstairs.
When the boys are all in the hall,
there is an interval of silence. The
''Grecian" says grace, and then follow:
such a ~chattering and Gathering as ]
am sure was never heard anywhere
else. A matron, at the head of each
table, carves for the boys of her ward,
and the monitors and beadles keep
order. think of all the trades-boys
the water-boys have the hardest time
For often they have to fill their cans
two or three times during the course
of dinner, and to do this they must
walk downstairs, through the cloisters
and halfway to the Newgate Street
entrance.-EHzabeh Robins PennelI,
sn st. Nicholas.